Short Summary

King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium were given a warm welcome by Emperor Haile Selassie when they arrived at Addis Ababa on Monday (6 November) for the first-ever state visit to Ethiopia by Belgian royalty.

Description

King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium were given a warm welcome by Emperor Haile Selassie when they arrived at Addis Ababa on Monday (6 November) for the first-ever state visit to Ethiopia by Belgian royalty.

Emperor Hailo selassie was crowned the year King Baudouin was bern 42 years ago. The Emperor has visited Belgium twice, once privately when he was Prince Regent in 1924, and the second time an a state visit in 1959. He is a great admirer and one-time close friend of King Baudouin's grandfather, the late King Albert.

Speaking at a state banquet in honour of the Royal visitors, on Tuesday (7 Nov), King Baudouin praised the 80-year-old Emperor as 'a man of peace whose fundamental convictions had failed to be shaken by adversity.'
During the five-day visit, the King and Queen called at the headquarters of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) of which the Emperor is a founder member. The two monarchs, accompanied by their Foreign ministers, also had talks on bilateral relations and international affairs - particularly African problems.

SYNOPSIS: Addis Ababa airport on Monday -- Emperor Haile Selassie and the Crown Price waiting to meet their Royal guests: King Baudouin of Belgium and his wife, Queen Fabiola. This is the first-ever state visit to Ethiopia by Belgian Royalty, and the Emperor is particularly pleased as he has a special affection for Belgian monarchy....King Baudouin's grandfather, the late King Albert, was the Emperor's close friend. Haile Selassie himself has visited Belgium twice...once as Prince Regent in nineteen-twenty-four, then on a state visit in nineteen-fifty-nine, He was crowned Emperor in nineteen-thirty, the year King Baudouin was born.

An important highlight of the five-day Royal visit was a meeting between the two monarchs and their foreign ministers, to discuss bilateral relations and international affairs... particularly African problems. King Baudouin also visited the head-quarters of the Organisation of African Unity, of which Emperor Haile Selassie is a founder-member. At a state banquet for the Royal quests, King Baudouin praised his host as 'a man of peace whose convictions had failed to be shaken by adversity.'